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Did You Know There is a World Fact-Checking Day?
Wondering if the Truth Really Matters Anymore
There are various ‘Days of the Year’ like National DIY Day and National Handmade Day, both on April 1st. I had no idea that there was also World Fact-Checking Day. This annual event is celebrated on April 2nd, so I hope you’re ready to celebrate it tomorrow!
The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) started this day to “encourage people to fact-check information they come across in their daily lives, especially on social media.” The IFCN wanted to raise awareness about how important it is to check reliable sources of information. The IFCN is a global organization of fact-checkers that is hosted by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. The Poynter Institute for Media Studies launched the IFCN in 2015.
“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” — Mark Twain
The main purpose of World Fact-Checking Day is to “promote critical thinking and media literacy, and to combat misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.” That sounds like a good idea to me.
However, as an independent thinker, I hope that these fact-checkers are non-partisan and unbiased in their assessment of the facts and…